School Committee members received letters from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) New England on May 29 thanking them for their proclamation against the use of the Massachusetts Teachers Association’s antisemitic materials.
This proclamation was passed at the May 15 School Committee meeting in a vote of 3-2, with Committee members Brian Ota and Al Williams voting against the proclamation and Chair Jenn Schaeffner, Vice Chair Alison Taylor and Committee member Sarah Fox all voting in favor.
“In this challenging time, when antisemitism is rising and our community’s sense of security feels particularly fragile, your leadership provides a much-needed source of hope,” the ADL wrote in its letters to Committee members. “By taking a stand, you help combat the spread of misinformation and demonstrate what true allyship looks like. Thank you for your continuing leadership to protect our classrooms.”
Taylor said that when she received her letter, she was “struck with such gratitude.”
“It meant a great deal to me that the ADL of New England recognized our School Committee’s proclamation against antisemitism, calling it a ‘source of hope.’ To take the time to send a personalized letter, what an honor. It is beyond critical for leadership to set the example and be upstanders (as my son calls them),” Taylor wrote.
She continued, “I’m really proud of this School Committee for moving forward with this proclamation, and it meant a lot to have the support of our administration. With the recent, needless, and tragic attacks, I was also grateful to be a part of the moving vigil that was held at Abbott Hall. It was beautiful to see so many of our leaders and community members come together. Marblehead Public Schools continues to do so much to combat antisemitism and we must continue to be steadfast in this fight together.”
When Ota was asked if his thoughts on whether this proclamation was needed have changed since learning of the ADL’s support of it, the short answer was no. He said he believes that, “based on the work being done, I saw no need to accept their proclamation because we are already proactively working to ensure we address all issues of discrimination in a timely and comprehensive manner.”
Ota added that he believes Superintendent John Robidoux and Assistant Superintendent Julia Ferreira “are very capable leaders,” and Robidoux has also created a committee “that meets to address issues concerning discrimination.”
Williams echoed Ota’s sentiments but also said he “probably too narrowly focused” on the idea of the School Committee “trying to have too heavy a hand in curriculum curation, and that’s really the reason that I voted against it.”
“I think most of the other things (in the proclamation) are absolutely spot on. And does it hurt for a School Committee to say that? No. But again, I focused more on where I felt we had to have some boundaries on what a School Committee should and shouldn’t do,” Williams said.
Fox said that while she was very honored to have received the recognition by ADL New England, she doesn’t “do this work for recognition.”
“I do it because it’s very important, and in this time when we have now seen two hateful acts of terror carried out in the United States in the last two weeks targeting Jewish people and people supporting them that was fueled by the dangerous rhetoric that has normalized antisemitism in our communities, it is more important than ever for community leaders to denounce antisemitism in all of its forms,” she said.
Fox added that the proclamation was “an important step in confronting antisemitism” and “we need to continue to identify antisemitism when we see it and denounce it.”
Schaeffner said, “This is a critical moment for us to stand with the Jewish community in Marblehead against these unacceptable acts of antisemitism. It’s an act of profound moral clarity, and the time for us to model to our students that antisemitism in all its forms must be denounced.”
“We will continue this important work we have started this year in our schools,” Schaeffner said. “We are thankful to Superintendent Robidoux and his administrative team for their commitment and dedication to facing this issue. We are working together to create a climate in our schools that stands up to antisemitic words and actions, as well as all forms of discrimination and hatred.”
